Competencies for TVET and Education (GIZ Germany) Mrs. Dr. Uta Bischoff-Peters

| Telecentre Foundation (San Francisco/Manila) Mr. Nabil Eid, TCF Syria

Project “Improving the access to education, vocational education and training and income generation for internally displaced persons, refugees and host communities

in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq”

Assessment on opportunities for the establishment of “telecentres“ (community e-centers) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Dohuk, Erbil)

On-site mission in Dohuk, KRI from 9th to 17th July 2016

1. Introduction

Iraq is considered a fragile state in a destabilized region which is dominated by the crisis in Syria. About 215.000 Syrian citizen have fled to Northern Iraq, together with more than 2 millions of internal displaced people (IDPs). The overall aim of the GIZ transitional aid project is to enhance the access to and quality of education, vocational education and training and promote income generation for internally displaced persons, refugees and the population of host communities in the KRI. A project apraisal mission in February 2016 recommended several activities for further project enrollment, among which is an assessment on opportunities for the establishment of so-called “telecentres” (TCs) in host communities and refugee/IDP camps. The assessment shall explore the potential of ICTs (information and communication technologies) to improve the personal and community situation of different target groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with regard to education, training and work opportunities, entrepreneurship, networking etc. through improvement and use of IT skills and IT based services. 2. Objective of the mission and experts

The objective of the mission is to provide an analysis of the existing conditions, feasible opportunities and recommendations for the establishment of “telecentres” in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in the frame of the transitional aid project mentioned above. The mission will be conducted by Mr. Nabil Eid, Middle East specialist of the international Telecentre Foundation from Syria, and Mrs. Dr. Uta Bischoff-Peters, GIZ specialist on human capacity development in TVET with large experience on telecentre approaches particularly in Maghreb region.

3. Key areas and aspects to be assessed

Telecentres – also known as community e-centers, infocenters, knowledge hubs etc. - are public and community spaces offering a guided access to modern information and communication technologies with a focus on addressing the needs of low qualified, disadvantaged or remote target groups and people with disabilities. While a telecentre is always defined by the primary objective of contributing to community development through the “added value” of a beneficial use of ICT, there can be many different versions or models that are tailored to the specific situation and needs regarding target groups, environment, qualification and employment, IT infrastructure etc. They may be promoted by or be part of public libraries, education centers, voluntary or community organizations, or other types of community facilities.

Competencies for TVET and Education (GIZ Germany) Mrs. Dr. Uta Bischoff-Peters

| Telecentre Foundation (San Francisco/Manila) Mr. Nabil Eid, TCF Syria

The guiding principles of the mission will be:

• focus on synergies with and enhancement of existing structures and project activities, both GIZ and other donors or local institutions

• feasibility in an adequate time frame (short term and mid term perspectives)

• provide a set of alternative options that can be developed with regard to budget, outreach, scope of IT activities (from computer literacy classes to telework), target groups (ethnics, languages,...)

The mission will assess the following key areas and aspects:

1. Host organizations and partners

• organizations / institutions where TCs could be implemented as part of their programme (link to existing projects of the international donor community, NGOs,..)

• organizations working with digital content that could be hosts or partners

• possible partners from the private sector (partners for IT: infrastructure/services or who employ IT-skilled workers)

2. Infrastructure

• physical space (e.g. community centres, training centres) that can serve as hosts for telecenters or where additional rooms can be easily constructed

• existing computer lab facilities (in training centers/schools, public libraries, ...)

• quality of internet access and electrical power

• local IT-platforms that are already used by concerned communities or projects 3. Human resources

• key persons and especially multipliers with advanced IT skills (e.g. local students or teachers from technical universities or training centres,...)

• ICT and mobile technology savvy of local people (none, basic, advanced)

• community leaders /camp coordinators that have good knowledge about competencies, needs, initiatives, strengths and weaknesses of local communities (not particularly with IT knowledge)

• special focus on including women as telecentre managers or trainers

4. Content (products and services):

• determination of the e-content which can best serve the needs of the target groups in the refugee camps and host communities in Northern Iraq

• estimate relevance and adaptability of existing e-content to the needs of the target groups (e-learning courses, platforms, ...)

• evaluate different models of telecentres / e-centers with regard to their suitability and application potentials in the project context

5. Target groups and networking

• identification of target groups that could benefit most from a telecenter approach, according to different model options

• support to networking through telecenters via virtual communities/meeting places.

We will be glad to count on your kind cooperation.